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They were always sorry. After the fact. People were always sorry once tensions died down. But I knew the apologies never meant anything. Not really. Because the moment I stepped out of bounds again, they’d yell at me again for it. Like a petulant child.

So I sped away from campus again.

“What about your classes?”

It was the last of Hannah’s voice I heard. I tore out of the parking lot and skidded onto the road, hearing another car honking its horn as I almost crashed into it. I gripped the steering wheel with all my might and sped toward the intersection, hitting the yellow light just as I careened left. I didn’t know where in the world I was going, but I needed to get away. I needed to get as far away from campus and grades and tests and expectations as much as I could.

And the more campus dimmed in my rearview mirror, the freer I felt. I drew in deep breaths as I drove around town, watching the clock tick past midnight.

I didn’t know what I’d do about Hannah. Or classes. Or Max. Or anything else. One thing was for certain, though. One thing I knew for sure.

However much of Max I was allowed to have, I’d take.

6

Max

I sat on the back porch and let the afternoon sun batter against my body. It felt good, actually. Like sitting in a dry sauna. I’d taken three warm showers already just to try and unlock my muscles. They were tense. Aching. Bruised and battered.

But mostly, they missed Dani.

“Want a beer?”

John sat a glass bottle in front of me and I snickered. I picked it up and took a couple long pulls, feeling it wash down the last of the pain medication that had been lodged in my throat for the past few minutes. I licked my lips and set it down, watching the condensation already rolling down its curves.

Dani’s are better.

“How you feeling?”

I sighed. “As fine as I can feel.”

“How’d you sleep last night?”

I shrugged. “Like shit.”

“So normal.”

I snickered. “Yeah, normal.”

John nodded. “Dani seems nice.”

“She’s a good girl.”

“Doesn’t seem so good to me. Skipping out on those classes.”

I grinned. “She’s got some spunk in her if you give her a chance. Just doesn't know how to…”

“Let it out?”

“That’s one way to put it.”

“Oppressive parents?”

I shrugged. “Don’t really know.”

“Bad childhood?”

“Again, don’t know.”